MaK!MeJ!

Yes. Manny Pacquiao, a boxer by profession, is the ultimate antidote to traffic conditions.

I’m not saying that just because I’m a big fan of his but because I saw it myself. I have been seeing it all these years. I see how different the traffic situation is (from normal days) every time he has a fight. I saw it years ago. I saw it few months back.

Again, the reality stared at me today as I drove to a nearby restaurant. I only saw few motorists on the road.

Where are the jeepneys? The cars? So few, I could count them with my fingers. The traffic condition was so ideal. If I had not known his fight was set today, I’d have assumed that the public transportation group was on strike. Such was the effect of his fight.He obviously had everyone hooked on the TV, pay-per-view or whatever.

When Pacman, as Pacquiao is fondly called in Pinas, fights on the boxing ring (wherever in the world it may be), trust me, it’s a perfect day for a drive. And it’s a perfect day to drop by the grocery store. I did this last year and as expected, the queues were not that long.

And so goes the reason why I love this man - apart from the fact that he always brings home the bacon. Now, can we have him fight on the boxing ring every day?

Note: Today, Pacquiao wins the fight by split decision against Marquez. Venue: Mandalay Bay Resort Hotel and Casino. Official scorecards of the Pacquiao-Marquez fight: Jerry Roth, 115-112 (Marquez); Duane Ford, 115-112 (Pacquiao); and Tom Miller, 114-113 (Pacquiao). Read story here.